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Chapter 130: A New Breakthrough (Third Update)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
“Oh, Professor William, Professor Adams,” Filch looked at the sky uncertainly, and finally uttered the second half of his greeting, “Good morning.”
“Ah—”
Filch saw a third figure, and his entire demeanor, from disappointment, became quite energized. “Professors, have you caught a rule-breaking student?”
“Theoretically, yes. Professor Adams and I are discussing who should give him detention.” William responded with a smile—the experiment to catch the so-called voice had just failed, but he didn't think Harry was lying, and keeping him with them was for the best. If he were sent to Mr. Filch, the subsequent investigation would be impossible.
“They should be given more detention. Wandering around the castle late at night without sleeping is bad enough, but using magic in the castle early in the morning—” Filch seemed to lose all his sleepiness talking about this, but upon realizing he might be implicitly referring to the professors, he immediately ended the conversation and found an excuse to patrol elsewhere.
“Filch is quite dedicated to his duty, but I doubt any student will like him for it,” Adams shrugged, watching Filch’s retreating figure.
“He’s the castle caretaker. If students liked him, then there’d be trouble. Think about the students given detention this time; if they liked Filch, what a mess Hogwarts would be in.”
“That’s true.” Adams thought of the students who had been sent to him for detention and couldn’t help but nod. “But then again, who do you think is more unpopular, Professor Snape or Filch?”
“It’s probably not Professor Snape. At least the students from Slytherin quite like him.”
“I think it’s Snape. At least every House has students who don’t dislike Filch.”
An interjection from out of nowhere made the two habitually joking individuals freeze for a moment. They exchanged a glance before looking behind them—the person who had just interjected was right there, a genuine student from Gryffindor, a second-year.
‘Why are you making jokes like that!’
‘You didn’t notice either?’
The two accused each other with their eyes—there was no help for it. It wasn't even four in the morning, and it was the weekend. Even Adams, who had work to do, had only gotten up early to prank William. The two extremely sleepy individuals had forgotten there was still a student beside them.
“Speaking ill of professors is wrong. No punishment will be given this time, but if I hear any more badmouthing of professors inside the castle again, I guarantee I can give you half a year of detention, Mr. Potter.”
“After half a year, I’ll continue giving you detention. There are plenty of plants that need tending in the greenhouse, and plenty of dragon dung that needs composting.”
The two professors shamelessly threatened the student—it was highly effective.
“Can I go now, Professor?”
“I’m afraid not. I’m quite curious about that mysterious voice you mentioned. Could you tell me about it?”
“Um, the first time I heard this voice was when I was in detention with Professor Lockhart. Today is the second time I’ve heard it. I was sleeping—it’s a terrifying voice. Ice-cold and menacing. It was saying, ‘Rip you apart… kill you…’”
“A human voice?” William froze—he thought it was some strange noise, like the sound of glass marbles rolling that you sometimes hear in old buildings. But it turned out to be a human voice?
“Yes, it should be a human voice—a spine-chilling, breath-stopping, ice-cold, and venomous speaking voice.”
How strange—William could accept any odd sound, but a human voice? What on earth?
“Adams?” William asked concisely. The response was Adams’s gaze—‘You’re the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.’
“I haven’t heard of such a thing. If it were an animal's cry, that would be one thing, but a human voice… I don’t recall any precedents. Perhaps I can look up some information—but don’t get your hopes too high.”
William answered quite frankly. However, with experts at Hogwarts, he wouldn’t just fob off the student like that. “You can ask Professor Lockhart. He’s well-informed and knows much more than I do. He should be able to give you an answer.”
William wasn't sure if it was because of the dim light, but he thought Harry’s face suddenly stiffened.
“Alright, I’ll let you off tonight. Don’t brag about this, or you’ll get at least triple the detention. Go back and get a good sleep. I will investigate that voice thoroughly.”
Harry wrapped himself in his Invisibility Cloak and hurried away after bidding farewell to the two professors.
Guessing Harry had gone far enough, Adams asked, “He's gone?”
“Gone, I think.” William yawned and checked the surroundings with his wand.
“Dumbledore really spoils this kid—the Headmaster gave him the Invisibility Cloak, didn’t he?”
“Probably. An Invisibility Cloak that found its way onto the market isn't something a child could afford. Besides, the Invisibility Cloak is nothing—because Harry was enrolling, Hogwarts’s schedule was specifically modified for him.”
“Modified?”
“Of course—otherwise, why would there be four Heads of House for that year level? Do you think Professor McGonagall can manage the school's affairs while also teaching several year levels?”
“That’s true. Four Heads of House simultaneously teaching one year level—that lineup is a bit too luxurious. How are Harry’s grades?”
“Not as good as I imagined. I thought he would be first in every subject, but his friend is—before he enrolled, I always thought he was a genius. Speaking of which, William, do you really think that so-called voice wasn’t something he made up on the spot to escape detention?”
“Probably not. A fabrication wouldn’t be this absurd. I suspect he’s been cursed.”
“A curse?”
“Exactly. Hearing voices no one else can hear, and then being paranoid all day—otherwise, why can’t others hear that voice? Is there a ghost specifically trying to scare him? What kind of ghost could be invisible to both of us, yet visible only to a second-year?”
“But what kind of curse is that? I’ve never heard of it—William, William?”
Adams pushed the stunned William, only to find a look of delight on his face.
“That’s right, ghosts! Hogwarts has ghosts!”
“Even a ghost couldn’t scare someone right in front of the two of us, not even Peeves!”
But William wasn’t referring to Harry’s curse—he was thinking of the two tragically dead chickens.
In this world where magic defied logic, reasoning had hit a wall. But now, he had found a logic-defying element on his side—the wandering ghosts of Hogwarts knew no less than the portraits. If he asked them carefully, he could probably find a new breakthrough this time.
“William!” Adams’s call snapped him back to reality.
“What’s wrong?”
“Harry’s curse?”
“Report it to the Headmaster. Surely Dumbledore can solve it, right? Whether it’s a curse or a concussion, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“‘A concussion’? What's that strange word?”
He had blurted out a Chinese word in his haste… thankfully Adams didn’t understand—William felt a bit awkward.
Mainly, he suspected Harry had suffered some after-effects from crashing into that tree when he arrived at school.
“Nothing, it’s a Muggle term for a type of medical condition.”
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
“Oh, Professor William, Professor Adams,” Filch looked at the sky uncertainly, and finally uttered the second half of his greeting, “Good morning.”
“Ah—”
Filch saw a third figure, and his entire demeanor, from disappointment, became quite energized. “Professors, have you caught a rule-breaking student?”
“Theoretically, yes. Professor Adams and I are discussing who should give him detention.” William responded with a smile—the experiment to catch the so-called voice had just failed, but he didn't think Harry was lying, and keeping him with them was for the best. If he were sent to Mr. Filch, the subsequent investigation would be impossible.
“They should be given more detention. Wandering around the castle late at night without sleeping is bad enough, but using magic in the castle early in the morning—” Filch seemed to lose all his sleepiness talking about this, but upon realizing he might be implicitly referring to the professors, he immediately ended the conversation and found an excuse to patrol elsewhere.
“Filch is quite dedicated to his duty, but I doubt any student will like him for it,” Adams shrugged, watching Filch’s retreating figure.
“He’s the castle caretaker. If students liked him, then there’d be trouble. Think about the students given detention this time; if they liked Filch, what a mess Hogwarts would be in.”
“That’s true.” Adams thought of the students who had been sent to him for detention and couldn’t help but nod. “But then again, who do you think is more unpopular, Professor Snape or Filch?”
“It’s probably not Professor Snape. At least the students from Slytherin quite like him.”
“I think it’s Snape. At least every House has students who don’t dislike Filch.”
An interjection from out of nowhere made the two habitually joking individuals freeze for a moment. They exchanged a glance before looking behind them—the person who had just interjected was right there, a genuine student from Gryffindor, a second-year.
‘Why are you making jokes like that!’
‘You didn’t notice either?’
The two accused each other with their eyes—there was no help for it. It wasn't even four in the morning, and it was the weekend. Even Adams, who had work to do, had only gotten up early to prank William. The two extremely sleepy individuals had forgotten there was still a student beside them.
“Speaking ill of professors is wrong. No punishment will be given this time, but if I hear any more badmouthing of professors inside the castle again, I guarantee I can give you half a year of detention, Mr. Potter.”
“After half a year, I’ll continue giving you detention. There are plenty of plants that need tending in the greenhouse, and plenty of dragon dung that needs composting.”
The two professors shamelessly threatened the student—it was highly effective.
“Can I go now, Professor?”
“I’m afraid not. I’m quite curious about that mysterious voice you mentioned. Could you tell me about it?”
“Um, the first time I heard this voice was when I was in detention with Professor Lockhart. Today is the second time I’ve heard it. I was sleeping—it’s a terrifying voice. Ice-cold and menacing. It was saying, ‘Rip you apart… kill you…’”
“A human voice?” William froze—he thought it was some strange noise, like the sound of glass marbles rolling that you sometimes hear in old buildings. But it turned out to be a human voice?
“Yes, it should be a human voice—a spine-chilling, breath-stopping, ice-cold, and venomous speaking voice.”
How strange—William could accept any odd sound, but a human voice? What on earth?
“Adams?” William asked concisely. The response was Adams’s gaze—‘You’re the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.’
“I haven’t heard of such a thing. If it were an animal's cry, that would be one thing, but a human voice… I don’t recall any precedents. Perhaps I can look up some information—but don’t get your hopes too high.”
William answered quite frankly. However, with experts at Hogwarts, he wouldn’t just fob off the student like that. “You can ask Professor Lockhart. He’s well-informed and knows much more than I do. He should be able to give you an answer.”
William wasn't sure if it was because of the dim light, but he thought Harry’s face suddenly stiffened.
“Alright, I’ll let you off tonight. Don’t brag about this, or you’ll get at least triple the detention. Go back and get a good sleep. I will investigate that voice thoroughly.”
Harry wrapped himself in his Invisibility Cloak and hurried away after bidding farewell to the two professors.
Guessing Harry had gone far enough, Adams asked, “He's gone?”
“Gone, I think.” William yawned and checked the surroundings with his wand.
“Dumbledore really spoils this kid—the Headmaster gave him the Invisibility Cloak, didn’t he?”
“Probably. An Invisibility Cloak that found its way onto the market isn't something a child could afford. Besides, the Invisibility Cloak is nothing—because Harry was enrolling, Hogwarts’s schedule was specifically modified for him.”
“Modified?”
“Of course—otherwise, why would there be four Heads of House for that year level? Do you think Professor McGonagall can manage the school's affairs while also teaching several year levels?”
“That’s true. Four Heads of House simultaneously teaching one year level—that lineup is a bit too luxurious. How are Harry’s grades?”
“Not as good as I imagined. I thought he would be first in every subject, but his friend is—before he enrolled, I always thought he was a genius. Speaking of which, William, do you really think that so-called voice wasn’t something he made up on the spot to escape detention?”
“Probably not. A fabrication wouldn’t be this absurd. I suspect he’s been cursed.”
“A curse?”
“Exactly. Hearing voices no one else can hear, and then being paranoid all day—otherwise, why can’t others hear that voice? Is there a ghost specifically trying to scare him? What kind of ghost could be invisible to both of us, yet visible only to a second-year?”
“But what kind of curse is that? I’ve never heard of it—William, William?”
Adams pushed the stunned William, only to find a look of delight on his face.
“That’s right, ghosts! Hogwarts has ghosts!”
“Even a ghost couldn’t scare someone right in front of the two of us, not even Peeves!”
But William wasn’t referring to Harry’s curse—he was thinking of the two tragically dead chickens.
In this world where magic defied logic, reasoning had hit a wall. But now, he had found a logic-defying element on his side—the wandering ghosts of Hogwarts knew no less than the portraits. If he asked them carefully, he could probably find a new breakthrough this time.
“William!” Adams’s call snapped him back to reality.
“What’s wrong?”
“Harry’s curse?”
“Report it to the Headmaster. Surely Dumbledore can solve it, right? Whether it’s a curse or a concussion, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“‘A concussion’? What's that strange word?”
He had blurted out a Chinese word in his haste… thankfully Adams didn’t understand—William felt a bit awkward.
Mainly, he suspected Harry had suffered some after-effects from crashing into that tree when he arrived at school.
“Nothing, it’s a Muggle term for a type of medical condition.”
(end of chapter)
